I didn't always know I wanted to be a teacher. To be honest, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life when I graduated high school. However, my sophomore year of high school I had a biology teacher who transformed my ideas of science and made me grow to love biology. So a year and a half later when I was applying to colleges I put down biology as a major because it interested me. As I started college I knew I loved biology, I just didn't know what I wanted to do with it; I could never be responsible for someone's life by being a doctor, I would get bored with research too easily, and my love of neurology didn't leave me with many choices. I was stuck.
It wasn't until my sophomore year at URI that I remembered interning with my biology teacher in high school and him having me teach a lab. Looking back at that experience I realized I enjoyed teaching. So it was at that point that I started taking education classes. I decided I was going to be a high school biology teacher. I owe this all to my teacher, because starting high school I hated science. I didn't understand it and I didn't find it enjoyable. He discovered my love for biology.
I know not every student will love biology, I will never love history no matter what way it is taught to me, so I don't expect every student who leaves my class to also leave with my love of biology as well. However I would like every student to leave with the appreciation of biology. Every good teacher I have had made me appreciate the subject they taught. I don't like chemistry but because the way my high school teacher taught it, I appreciated what it had to offer.
The past year I have been a teacher's assistant in a Biology for Gardeners class and I discovered I loved grading. But I also discovered by grading what material the student's had trouble with. When it came down to the genetics unit Professor Ruemmele let me lecture. I was in heaven; I love genetics, I was able to teach the class with easy slides and fun concepts. That same high school biology teacher taught genetics and everything he taught I passed down to these students in lecture.
I'm not nervous to teach but it is something different. I've spent six years at URI doing the same things over and over. I'm anxious to start something new but nervous to be leaving somewhere where I've grown so comfortable. I want my classroom to be what I wanted my high school experience to be like; safe, engaging, fun and but also where you remember what was taught.
It wasn't until my sophomore year at URI that I remembered interning with my biology teacher in high school and him having me teach a lab. Looking back at that experience I realized I enjoyed teaching. So it was at that point that I started taking education classes. I decided I was going to be a high school biology teacher. I owe this all to my teacher, because starting high school I hated science. I didn't understand it and I didn't find it enjoyable. He discovered my love for biology.
I know not every student will love biology, I will never love history no matter what way it is taught to me, so I don't expect every student who leaves my class to also leave with my love of biology as well. However I would like every student to leave with the appreciation of biology. Every good teacher I have had made me appreciate the subject they taught. I don't like chemistry but because the way my high school teacher taught it, I appreciated what it had to offer.
The past year I have been a teacher's assistant in a Biology for Gardeners class and I discovered I loved grading. But I also discovered by grading what material the student's had trouble with. When it came down to the genetics unit Professor Ruemmele let me lecture. I was in heaven; I love genetics, I was able to teach the class with easy slides and fun concepts. That same high school biology teacher taught genetics and everything he taught I passed down to these students in lecture.
I'm not nervous to teach but it is something different. I've spent six years at URI doing the same things over and over. I'm anxious to start something new but nervous to be leaving somewhere where I've grown so comfortable. I want my classroom to be what I wanted my high school experience to be like; safe, engaging, fun and but also where you remember what was taught.